Capitals defenseman Justin Schultz isn't dwelling on time with Penguins

Like so many returning heroes, Justin Schultz received a welcome back when he took the ice at PPG Paints Arena on Sunday.

Now a member of the Washington Capitals, the former Penguins defenseman sat on the bench and watched a video presentation of highlights from the five seasons he spent in Pittsburgh.

Included in the montage were clips of him lifting the Stanley Cup in 2016 and ‘17.

The Penguins have done this regularly for former players who have helped contribute to the franchise’s championship success.

Chris Kunitz. Ben Lovejoy. Trevor Daley. Eric Fehr. Ian Cole. Ron Hainsey. Phil Kessel. Marc-Andre Fleury.

Each of them — no matter the length of tenures or the magnitude of contributions — received this tribute upon their first return to Pittsburgh.

Schultz was no different. Except in one fashion.

He didn’t return the admiration, at least in a physical sense.

After all, who was there for him to wave to?

The video package the Penguins offered to Schultz was touching, but it was presented in front of a mostly empty venue minus the players, coaches, arena employees, a handful of family and media who were on hand.

While players on both benches “clapped” their sticks, Schultz didn’t seem interested in trying to stand out in such limited company.

Thank you for everything, @6Schultz6! pic.twitter.com/ixdibqTJzY

— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) January 17, 2021

He certainly appreciated the sentiment. At the same time, he didn’t seem terribly sentimental when asked about it via video conference Tuesday following his new team’s morning skate.

“It was super nice of them to do that,” Schultz said. “Didn’t really expect it. It was nice. Obviously, had some great years here. But now I’m on the (Capitals). Got a big game tonight.”

Acquired by the Penguins at the 2016 trade deadline, Schultz’s career underwent a much-needed course correction when he arrived in Pittsburgh.

Lost in the graveyard that was the Edmonton Oilers’ blue line, Schultz came to Penguins and, with the guidance of former assistant coaches Sergei Gonchar and Jacques Martin, became a sturdy second-pairing defenseman who reliably took on bigger roles during the frequent occasions top defenseman Kris Letang was sidelined with injury.

“I thought the coaches did a good job of easing me into it,” Schultz said. “I was coming off a tough time in Edmonton. I was pretty low confidence-wise. Obviously, the leaders they have in that room helped me a lot. It’s pretty similar to here in (Washington).”

Schultz was sidelined for much of his last two seasons in Pittsburgh because of his own maladies, appearing in only 75 of a possible 151 regular season games.

And things really caved in for Schultz this past summer in the 2020 postseason. During the Penguins’ humiliating upset at the hands of the Montreal Canadiens in the preliminary round, Schultz and his defensive partner, Jack Johnson, struggled. Schultz himself was on the ice for six of the 10 goals the Canadiens scored in four games.

A few days after the Penguins’ postseason came to an end, general manager Jim Rutherford used some sharp elbows when critiquing that pairing.

“They could have been better,” Rutherford said. “I know everybody picks on Jack and they have for a long time. But I think, in that pairing, Justin Schultz had a lot more to give.”

With the ascent of rookie defenseman John Marino last season, the Penguins weren’t interested in giving Schultz a new contract and allowed him to depart as an unrestricted free agent after a mostly harmonious five-year marriage.

On Oct. 9, Schultz signed a two-year deal with the Capitals that carried a cap hit of $4 million.

Through the first three games of the season, the right-hander has yet to score a point while playing with left-handed defenseman Brenden Dillon.

Regardless, his new coach, Peter Laviolette seems pretty high on Schultz’s offensive game.

“He was a good addition with us this summer,” Laviolette said. “He’s paired with a good partner and a different type of player in Dillon. He comes in and he’s able to play an identity and get to where we want to be. I don’t think we’re there, yet, but we’ll continue to work on it, teach it. I do see him as being somebody who can help in those areas. He’s got an offensive skillset, an offensive mindset, he can help out on the power play. I do think him and Brenden Dillon have played really well together.”

“For me, he’s been a nice addition. A piece that I think we needed to add that I think has more of those natural offensive instincts and a power-play guy to help out on the backend.”

That’s what the Penguins thought of Schultz when they plucked him out of Edmonton nearly five years ago, and that’s largely what he provided for them, even if things got messy at the end.

For the time being, he doesn’t appear to be dwelling on his past with the Penguins.

“It’s a little different, obviously, Schultz said. “Playing here for a long period of time, it’s obviously a little weird coming back here. But you get adjusted pretty quickly and it’s just business as usual.”

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